Return type rake distributor and electric control



F 1933- J. B. BRENNEN RETURN TYPE RAKE ms'ramuron AND ELECTRIC CONTROLFiled Sept. 19, 1930 s Sheets- Sheet 1 INVENTOI' Y ATTORNIY Y JOHN B.EEEN/VE/V Feb. 28, 1933. J. B. BRENNEN 1, ,7

RETURN TYPE RAKE DISlRIBUTOR AND ELECTRIC CONTROL.

3 Sheets-Sheet Filed Sept. 19 1930 Feb. 28, 1933. JT 5 BRENNEN 1,8995791I RETURN TYPE RAKE DISTRIBUTOR AND ELEGTRIC CONTROL Filed Sept. 19-,1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 husmrr/c 7 am, all

CONT'JCTDR OVER. 04 D Ell-A Y Moran uM/r JW/TCI/ T/MEO rsuv JOHN B.BEENNE/V ATToriMlv lfatented Feb. 28, 1933 JOHN B. BRENNEN, OF ATLANTA,GEQRGIA EETUEEE TYPE DISTRIBUTOR AND ELECTRIC GONTBOL Application filedSeptember 19, 1930. Serial No. 488,121.

This invention relates to an automatic control for a cotton handlingmachine and has as primary object to provide an automatic controlwhereby the difliculties encountered the handlin of cotton in a cottonmill, are avoided. or example, the first process in cotton mill consistsof removing the ties and begging "from. the bales and feeding the cottonto feed. hoppers or bale breakers which loosen the fibre to some degreeand deliver it opening and cleaning machines which further loosen thefibre and tree it from dirt and other extraneous materials. The cottonis delivered from the opening and cleaning machines to the pipe linethrough which it is conveyed by air to the condenser placed overin thepicker room. The condenser drops the cotton to the distributor whichdelivers it to the hoppers of the pickers. If the cleaning machinesdeliver more cotton to the condenser than the hoppers of the indiVid ualpickers will handle, the excess cotton is either spilled on the floor,dropped into the hop er supplying the last picker in the lineor eliveredinto pneumatic suction line at the discharge end of the distributor andreturned to the conveyor pipe line at any point between the cleaningmachine and condenser.

In an effort to keep the excess of cotton at a minimum and to regulatethe delivery of the cotton to the hoppers supplying the individualpickers, several controls have been developed, all employing some formof feeler mechanism in the individual hoppers supplying the pickers.This feeler mechanism operates the delivery gate of the beltdistributors and the necessary electric switches for automaticallystopping and starting the mo tor driving the hopper or bale breakersupplying cotton to the cleaning machines. VJ hen all of the hopperssupplying the pickers are filled with cotton, the feeler mechanismoperates the switches and stops the motor driving the hopper or balebreaker supplying cotton to the cleaning machine, and, when the level ofcotton in any of the hoppers supplying the pickers falls sufiicientlylow, the feeler mechanism and switches start the motor driving thehopper or bale breaker supplying cotton to the cleaning machine. The

result is that when the cotton is at the maximum height in the hopperssupplying the pickers, more cotton is carried upward by the needlelifting apron of the hoppers and delivered to the pickers than. is thecase when the cotton is at the minimum height, hence the pickers cannotdo as uniform work as they would if the amount of cotton being deliveredto them did not vary.

In view of the foregoing explanation of the difliculties attending thehandling of cot ton by the ordinary mechanism employed for this purpose,the present invention has as one of its objects to rovide an apparatuswhich will take care of any excess cotton delivered from the cleaningmachine which supplies cotton to the distributor so as to prevent theaccumulation of cotton at any point in the mechanism where it would beliable to damage or cause interruption to the operation.

This invention also consists in certain other features of constructionand in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to behereinafter fully describm, illustrated in the accompanying drawings,and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, it being understoodof course that minor changes may be made so long as they fall within themope of the claims.

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had tot-heaccompanying drawings, wherein like characters denote like orcorresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure l is a view in elevation illustrating the automatic electriccontrol mechanism of the invention and so much of a'cotton distrib utingand handling machine as is necessary to an understanding of theinvention.

Figure 2 is a similar view looking at the mechanism from another pointof View.

Figure '3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the electric circuits bywhich the'cob ton handling mechanism is controlled.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View illustrating thecontrol mechanism of the invention installed in a single trough ornon-return type of distributor.

In the drawings the numeral 1 indicates a hopper which ispreferablypositioned upon changeablyi and it will now flue 4 leads fromthe cleaning machine upwardly through the ceiling 5, and is connected orplaced in communication with a condenser 6 which is mounted at anelevated position in the room above the room in which re the hopper andcleaning machine are installed. From this condenser, the cotton isdelivered through a spout 7, into a longitudinally extendin trough 8which is preferably closed at th its top and bottom as well as at itssides, and shafts 9 and 10 are mounted in the ends of this trough and anendless distributor belt 11 is trained over these shafts and rake teeth12 are mounted upon the belt at the outer surface thereof and l! arearranged in a plurality of equidistantly spaced transverse series. Anelectric motor 13 is mounted preferably at the ceilin 5 of the firstmentioned room of the m' and I power is supplied, by this motor, tooperate so certain parts of the mechanism.

The bottom of the trough 8 is formed at intervals with openings 14 whichare of rectangular form and beneath each opening and upon the floor ofthe room in which the 85 trough is installed there is arranged ahop- 15,and a chute 16 of flexible material is suspended at its upper end inposition to surround each openin 14 and to descend into .the respectiveone o the hop rs 15, and 4 in order that the dimensions 0 the deliveryend of each chute me be more or less restricted, when desired, rackets17. are mount ed u n one side wall of the trough and are provided withright angliglarly extending arms 18 at their lower en these armsextending below the tron h andbeing arranged in pairs, and the brac etsand arms of each pair being arranged at op site sides of the,

, tive chute l6 and wit in the respective hopper 15. The arms 18 areformed each with a series of openings 19 and a rod 20 is fitted at itsends in these 0 ings, interevident and ggticulai by reference to F' re 1of the wings at by inserting the ends of the rods 20 in differentcorresponding ones of the "*openings 19, of each pair of the arms, thepo ition of the rod may be varied so as to more or less restrict thedelivery end of the 9 res 've chute. At this int it will be evi t that,in the travel 0 the endless belt,

of the distributor in the direction indict. by the arrows in 1 i re 2,the lowor stretch" of the endless ributor will travel above the bottomof the trough 8 and the circuit until the timed re with the teeth 12 insubstantial contacting relation to the upper side of the said bottom sothat cotton delivered into the trough through the spout 7, will becarried toward the end of the trough opposite the end at which the spoutis located, and in its passage, will pass the openings 14 in the bottomof the communicating with t e last hopper in the v series, will becarried about the adjacent closed end 21 of the trough, or, if for anyreason the cotton is not roperly conveyed and some of it is carried inthis direction, an automatic switch will be actuated in a manner whichwill now be described.

The numeral 22 indicates brackets which are mounted upon the upper sideof the trough and the numeral 23 indicates feeler stems which extenddownwardly from a shaft 24, mounted in said brackets and through an oning 25 in the top of the trough, and t erefore in the path of movementof any cotton carried ast the opening 25 by the teeth 12. Fixed u noneend of the shaft 24 is an arm 26, t e latter being pivotally. I

connected as at 27 with the actuating member of a limit switch 28 whichis in circuit with a source of current supply, the lines of which areindicated at 29 in igure 3 of the drawin Conductor wires 30 and 31 leadfrom this switch 28 and the wire 30 leads to a standard t pe of constantspeed induction motor time relay 32 having the terminals a, b, c, d anda respectively, the terminals 1) and a being vacant and not used, andthe wire 31 to a contactor 33 and a mag netic switch 34, theseelectrical units being arran d at one side of the motor 13. Swinging 0the feeler arms 23 effects closing of the limit switch 28 and thisresults in delivery of current to the timed relay 32 and contactor 33which is set in operation and, as long as this contactor is inoperation, the limit switch 28 may be opened and closed any number oftimes without efiectin any change in ay 32 has completed its timingcycle.

This is accomplished by the normally open contact of the contactor 33which cuts oil the circuit throughthe switch 28. When the normally o 11contact of the contactor 33 is closed, t e normally closed contact isopened and the ma etic switch 34 will be cut out and thus out o thecircuit to the motor 13 for the period of time to which the time relay32 is set, and when the time relay completes its wer..

its

timing cycle, the circuit is opened to the contactor 33 and 'themagnetic switch 34 'Wlll then be energized and establish a supply ofcurrent to the motor '13; In other words, when the limit switch 28contacts are closed the time relay coils f and g are energlzed.

This closes contact h with pole i in the time relay which energizes thecontrol contactors 33. The normally open contact k to pole of thecontrol contactor 33 closes, forming a holding circuit around limitswitch contacts 28; also normally closed contact m with pole L of thecontrol contactor 33 opens, which deenergizes holding coil of magneticswitch, thereby stopping motor 13 until the time relay has completed its0 cle. At the end of this time contact n of t e time relay is open whichresets said relay, thus opening circuit and deenergizing controlcontactor 33. This opens the holding circuit around limit switch 28 andcloses the circuit for reenergizing holding coil of magnetic switch 34,whereupon the motor 13 restarts and operates until the limit switch 28contacts are again closed, after which the devices operate again asabove outlined.

In order to prevent damage to the mechanism if the electric controlshould for any reason fail to operate, the spout 7 is provided in itsdownwardly inclined wall with an opening 35 which is preferably ofrectangular form and a gate 36 is hingedly mounted at its upper edge asat 37 upon the outer side of the said wall above the opening 35, and anarm 38 extends rearwardly from the gate and a counterbalancing weight 39is mounted upon this arm and preferably adjustable thereon, so that if asurplus amount is carried rearwardly by the upper stretch of theconveyor 11 and delivered into the spout 7, its weight and the pressureexerted thereagainst will provide for automatic opening of the gate 36to permit the same to drop onto the surface of the floor 5.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in'Figure 4, the cotton isconducted in one ,direotiononly and by way of 'the lower stretch of aconveyor operating in a trough and as the parts illustrated in thisfigure are identical with corresponding parts shown in FigureQ, exceptfor the difi'erence in location of thelpa'rts, the same referencenumerals will beemployed in Figure 4, primed, to designate correspondingparts in Figure 2.

The conveyor stretch 11' passes above the bottom of the trough 8' andFigure 4 illustrates that end of the endless conveyor which extendsbeyond the last one of the hoppers 15, and therefore there is no returnof a surplus amount of cotton as in the previously des-ribed embodiment.On the other hand, the limit switch 28, its actuating arm 26 and thebrackets 22' are mounted at the open top of the trough 8 near thedelivery end thereof, the feeler stems 23 being positioned im-'mediately opposite and close to the delivery end of the endlessconveyor, so that, in the with a cotton cleaning machine, an electricmotor, a circuit, of a distributor unit comprising a trough to receivecotton from the cleaning machine, an endless distributor operatingtherein, the said distributor having transverse series of rake teeth todraw the cotton delivered to the trough, over the bottom thereof, and aseries of hoppers to receive cotton delivered from the trough in itspassage therethrough, of a feeler positioned to be engaged by surpluscotton carried by the distributor to its upper stretch, upon filling ofthe hoppers, av limit switch in said circuit and actuated by themovement of the feeler, and a timed relay in circuit with the limitswitch for maintaining the motor out of operation for a predeterminedtime, independent of the actuation of the feeler.

2. In an automatic electric control for a cotton handling machine, thecombination with a cotton cleaning machine, an electric motor, acircuit, of a distributor unit comprising a tro'ugh to receive cottonfrom the cleaning machine, an endless distributor operating therein, thesaid distributor having transverse series of rake teeth to draw thecotton delivered to the trou h over the bottom thereof, and a seriesohoppers to receive cotton delivered from the trough in its passagetherethrough, of a feeler positioned to be engaged by surplus cottoncarried by the distributor to its upper stretch, upon fillingof thehoppers a limit switch actuated by the movement 0% the feeler, a timedrelay in circuit with the limit switch for maintaining the motor out ofo ration'for a predetermined time, indepen" ent of the actuation of thefeeler, and a contactor and magnetic switch in circuit with each otherand with the timed relay.

3. In an automatic electric control for a cotton handling machine, thecombination with a cotton cleaning machine, an electric motor, acircuit, of a distributor unit comprising a trough, to receive cottonfrom the cleaning machine, an endless distributor operating therein, thesaid distributor having transverse series of rake teethto draw thecotton delivered to the trough, over the bottom thereof, and a series ofhoppers to receive cotton delivered from the trough in its passagetherethrough, of a feeler positioned to be engaged by surplus cottoncarried by the distributor, to its upper stretch, upon filling of thehoppers, a limit switch, the feeler being supported for swingingmovement, and means movable with the feeler and operatively connectedwith the limit switch, and a timed relay in circuit with the limitswitch for mainteining the motor out of operation for a predeterminedtime, independent of the actuaticn of the feeier.

In on automatic electric control for a cotton handling machine, thecombination with a cotton cleaning machine, an electric motor, acircuit, of a distributor unit, comprising a trough to receive cottonfrom the cieening echin crating tom thereof, and. ceive cotton deliverspessa- "e therethroiwh, trougn having an rounding, at its iu s, spsir ofbra ly from the bottom o tro oi opening, and ro mounted upon thebrackets and extending transversely respective chute one. sdjustshieupon the s ts end with respect to the chute to very oi? the deliverv endoi the chute, of u i: positioned to e engsgsd by surplus cotton carriedby the distributor, to upper stretch, upon filling of the hoppers, alimit switch by the movement of the feelrelsy in circuit with the limitswitch for meintsining the motor out of operotion e predetermined time,independent of the actuation of the feeier,

5. in on automatic electric control for a hendling machine, thecombination with s cottoncleuning machine, on eiec'tric motor, ocircuit, of e. distributor unit prising a trough to receive cotton fromthe cleaning machine, an endless distributor opcrating therein, the saiddistributor having transverse series of rake teeth to drew the cottondelivered to the trough, over the hottom thereof, and c series ofhoppers to 1"- ceive cotton delivered from the trough in its passagetherethrough, of e feeler positioned to be engaged by surplus cottoncarried by the distributor, a limit switch actuated by the movement ofthe feeler, and a timed rela in circuit with the limit switch for maintaming the motor shut off for s predetermined time, independent of theof the ieeler.

6. In an automatic electric control for cotton handling machine, thecombination with a. cotton cleaning machine, on electric motor, acircuit, of a distributor unit comprising a trough to receive cottonfrom the cleaning machine, an endless distributor operating therein, thesaid distributor having transverse series of rake teeth to draw thecotton delivered to the trough, over the bottom thereof, and a series ofhoppers to receive cotton delivered from the trough in its passagetherethrough, of a feeler positioned to be enga ed by surplus cottoncarried b the distri utor to its upper stretch, upon lin of the hoppers,a limit switch sotuated by t e movement of the feeler, a timed relay incircuit with the limit switch for maintaining the motor out of operationfor a predetermined time, independent of the actuation of the feeler, aspout, at the delivery end of the upper stretch of the conveyor, havingan inclined bottom provided with an opening, 9, gate for closing saidopening, and a counterweight for holding the gate normally closed. Y

in testimony whereof I aflizi my signature.

JOHN B. BRENNEN.

